The Black Prince

Best understood if you already know something about British History in the Punjab or are of Punjabi origin. That should not detract other interested viewers. The Raj is not portrayed in a great light and this has triggered some knee-jerk reaction in the content of some professional reviews and press elsewhere. However rather than use this to create divide or animosity over historic events, it is testament to the good morals and integrity of the majority of Sikhs who have embraced the UK as their home and positively contributed so much to modern day Britain as well as the sacrifices made during two world wars. They have managed to overlook the earlier battles against the British before Punjab was annexed and this defining period in history where Sikh rule and the Kingdom of Punjab was effectively and abruptly brought to an end. The story of Maharaja Duleep Singh (The Black Prince) whilst tragic for a lost individual and wandering soul could be marginalized by observing his obvious flaws and flamboyant lifestyle. However, realizing that his life was largely out of his control from the tender age of 5 years, his shortcomings should be forgiven to realize the true tragedy lies in the loss of direction for his people and the demise of the grand Kingdom his father (Maharaja Ranjit Singh) justly ruled.

Well i catched the screening in Hong Kong yesterday. I was very impressed by the acting, music and flow of the movie. It's a very well given tribute to Maharaja Duleep Singh, the last maharaja of sikhs. Satinder Sartaj played his role very honestly and very good for first timer. His eyes speak more than his dialogues. I would like to thank the team of the black prince who made and brought this beautiful piece of work to the audience. its a must watch for every person especially sikhs to get to know about their rich history. And very well taught lesson on sikh history especially on maharaja duleep singh's life journey. Don't forget to listen to the songs. They lift the quotient of the emotions in the film and they are just beautiful. i watched the Hindi version and it was really good. Will be watching the English version once its out on DVD.

Disconnected and clinical look at what should have been a fascinating true story. Plastic acting, oversimplified script, terrible direction and editing which made one much better off googling the real "Black Prince". Almost unworthy even for TV. Very disappointing especially as there were so many high reviews on IMDb.

It is a story about the last sovereign king of Punjab. Definetly not a mainstream stereotypical movie.. some good acting esp by Shabana Aazmi ..an interesting yet somewhat unknown historical narrative of Duleep Singh..slow yet worth seeing..

I was quite excited to see this film. India is a great nation with a rich and vast history. The premise and title showed it could be a great historical film. Sadly I was left rather disappointed. A number of things could have been tweaked or changed which makes this a missed opportunity.

For most of this film it was somewhat hard to follow what was going on in some parts. We can understand the premise but the background that led to his exile and how he lost everything was loosely depicted. One could not follow exactly what was happening and I had to look up Wikipedia for information. Certain historical figures could have been used more such as Queen Victoria. This film never felt too coherent and quite disjointed, it recklessly jumped from scene to scene. With such great subject matter its a shame such a good story was badly told.

Another thing I feel to mention is the lack of compassion I feel for the main character and historical figure. It is undeniable that India was under brutal and horrid British rule but did this Prince really get the short end of the straw? He was treated as royalty in England, captured the Queen's attention and lived in luxury for his young adult life. He also could have any woman he chooses. Life is not always fair but you make do with the hand you are dealt and the hand Duleep Singh was dealt was not so bad and he could make the best of his situation rather than completely turn his back on those who cared for him. Based purely on the film and information available online perhaps Duleep experienced so much loss in his adult life because he did not appreciate what he already had. Important to note that as an Indian he was treated with great respect and affection on British soil unlike Indians on Indian soil, it was his choice to denounce his new family. As Queen Victoria said there is no government built on truth. Nevertheless it could have been a great film but sadly lacked coherence and acute direction.

6/10